Electric toaster



Dec. 10, 1929. R. B. LINCOLN ELECTRIC TOASTER Filed Jan. 16 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR lfllllllzlwllffll Dec. 10, 1 929. R. s. LlNcoLN v ELECTRIC ToAsTER Fild Jan. 16. 192e 2 sheets-sheet 2 umm.:- 2

ATTORNEY named Dec. 1o, 1929 l UNITED STATES PATENT ori-uca EoLLo n. LINCOLN, or wILxINsBIIaG, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNoa 'ro wEsrINGHoUsE ELECTRIC a MANUFACTURING ooMPANnJA CoaroRArIoN or PENNSYLVANIA IILIi'cT-RIC 'roAs'rEa Application tiled January 16, 1928. lSerial No. 246,965.

Myy invention relates to toasters and particularly to automatic electric toasters.

An object of my inventionis to provide a relatively simple toaster that shall embody means 4for supporting a sliceof bread between spaced heating elements for a predetermined length of time. y

Another object of my invention is to pro vide a toaster embodying a. time mechanism operatively engaged by a lbread-slice support only when a slice of bread is placed on the support and adapted to hold the slice in toasting relation to the heating elements for a predetermined length of time only, after which movement of the slice support permits the slice to drop into a storage chamber.

In practicing my invention, I provide a casing having a plurality of heating elements mounted therein and spaced apart suitable distances to permit of locating therebetween slices of bread to be toasted.

A pivotally mounted bread-slice support is provided for each space between the heating elements and is normally yieldingly held in a predetermined position.

A timing mechanism, embodying'a motor and a continuously rotatable shaft driven thereby, is provided.

A plurality of springs areprovided to extend above the continuously rotatable shaft and below a portion of the bread-slice support.

When a slice of bread is located on a support, the latter will be so moved as to cause the spring to engage theshaft, whereby the spring is slowly moved laterally of the support until disengaged therefrom, the weight of the slice of bread causing further turning movement of the support to permit the slice of bread to fall into a storage compartment below the heating elements. A resilient element eiects return of the support to its nor-y Fig. 6 is a View, in perspective, of one element of the device embodying my invention.y

A toaster 11 comprises a suitable casing12 of substantially,rectangular shape and comprising, generally, an upper heating compartment 13 and a lower compartment 14, inv

whichl is located a timing mechanism and which serves also as a storage chamber. The casing 12 may be made of any suitable or desired, material, such yas sheet metal, and of anyl suitable or desired shape suitable for the intended purpose and for surrounding the elements located therein.

The storage compartment 14 is provided with a doorl 15 having a knob 16 at the top thereof to ermit of access to the storage compartment or purposes of adjusting the timingk mechanism and for removing the toasted slices of bread. The door 15 may constitute the front wall of a drawer, into which the ytoasted slices'of bread may fall.

Spaced heating elements 17 of any suitable or desired type are located in the upper portion of the casing. Each heating element is here shown as embodying a plate 18 of electric insulating material, such as mica, and a resistor wire 19 wound thereon.

Guide wires 21 are provided on each side of the heating elements, in order to insure that a slice of bread located between adjacent elements shall be spaced therefrom suiiiciently to insure against burning the bread during the toasting. operation. The guides also in-` bread in uniformly spaced relation to the adjacent heating elements.

I have shown no specifcmeans for supporting the heating elements as this features no part of my invention. Since any suitable supporting structure may be employed, lI have deemed it unnecessary to illustrate and heating elements is located in the storage chamber 14, at one side thereof, and embodies an electric motor 22 mounted on a suitable supporting bracket 23 secured to the side wall of the casing 12.

The motor shaft is provided with a portion 24 having a worm thread thereon, to operatively engage a worm gear Wheel 25 which is, in turn, mounted on a screw-'threaded shaft 26. The ends of the shaft 26 are supported in suitable bearing members 27 and 28 which are secured against the side walls of the casing 12. While I have illustrated relatively coarse screw threads on the shaft 26, I do not wish it to be understood that. I necessarily employ these in actual practice. I may employ a much finer thread than that shown.

A plurality of bread-slice supporting members 31 are provided, each of these embodying a wire 32 bent to substantially W-shape, the intermediate portion thereof being long enough to receive a late 33 of sheet metal, one edge of which is ent around the Wire 32 and the other edge of which is bent slightly out of the main plane thereof. Each of the wires 32 is pivotally supported by a plurality of spaced bearing members consisting, re-

spectively, of sheet-metal plates 34 and 35 eX- tending across the top of the storage chamber and having their ends suitably secured to eitherthe side walls or to the rear wall of the casing.

- Helical springs 36 are provided adjacent toV l the rear wall of the casing 12 to extend sub- Lstantially vertically, the upper end ofeach spring being connected to a pin 37 secured to the wall, and the lower end thereof being connected to a rear extension of the wire 32,

Substantially as shown in detail in Fig. 4 of` the drawings. The strength of the respective springs 36 is made such that the breadslice support 31 will be located in substantiall the position shown in the left-hand side of ig. 2, as long as no slice of bread is located on the support. However, as soon as a slice of bread is dropped through a. suitable opening in the upper part of the casing, the bread-slice su port will be turned to the position shown y the intermediate support illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

A plurality of leaf springs 38 extend horizontally above the shaft 26 and have their forward ends mounted on a strip of metal 39 secured against the front wall of the casing. Each of the springs 38 is bent intermediate its ends so that the plane of one portion thereof is substantially at right angles to the plane of the other portion, as is shown more particularly in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The forward portion of the Wire 32 is bent to substantially the shape show at 41 in Fig. 4 of the drawing, the initial portion extending longitudinally of the support then being bent backwards at right angles and then into a return-bent end portion 42.

As is shown more particularly by the bread-slice support 31 shown at the left-hand of Fig. 2, the portion 41 will be out of engagement with the spring 38 so long as no slice of bread is located on the support. However, when a slice of bread is dropped thereon, the support is turned on its pivotal supports, engages the one end of the spring at its edge and bends it downwardly until the lower edge fits into the groove on the shaft 26. The free end of the spring is caused to travel longitudinally of the shaft, substantially as shown in the central spring in Fig. 1, until it is disengaged from the portion 41 of the bread-slice support. lVhen this disengagement occurs, the weight of the slice of bread on the support causes it to turn still further in its bearings until it takes the position shown for the righthand support illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, whereby the slice of bread is permitted to drop downwardly into the storage compartment 14.

As soon as the slice of bread has dropped clear of the support 31, the latter is returned to its initial or normal .position by its associated spring 36, when it will again be in the position shown. by the left-hand support 31 as illustrated in Fi 2.

The spring 38 will, of course, have a tendency to return very quickly to its initial straightened position and ma be engaged by the return-bent portion 42 o the bread-slice support when the same is being returned by the spring 36 to its initial position, whereby the spring 38 is bent to permit of the return of the bread-slice support to its initial positi'on. Pins 43 may be provi-ded, one for each of the bread-slice supports, to limit the turning movement thereof in their respective bearings.

The supporting strip 39 may be'of angular shape in lateral section, one side thereof being provided with elongated openings 44 through which extend securing screws 45. The construction is such that the support 39 may be moved longitudinally of its length to vary the'position of the springs 38 relatively to the portion 41 of the bread-slice supports.

This longitudinal movement is effected by y parting from the spirit and scope thereof and p p `I desire, therefore, that only such limitations out of opere-Ve engagement Wth the Shaft,

`mally yieldingly held out ofoperativementhen effect the return of the bread-slice supto Support o Shoo of-,blod v port to its initial position.

The means shown for varying the time ofl ments' for e Pfedetemlned length of Umea s electric heating elements and a continuously Operative after a' If it is desired to provide a plurality of mechanical connection between the slice suptoasters in side-by-side relation, any addiport and the shaft. i tional toasters may not be provided with a f 3. rIn a toaster having a plurality of spaced driving motor, but may be mechanically electric heating elements, a motor-driven rocoupled to the first toaster. For this purpose, tatable shaft, and a bread-slice supporting the shaft 26 is extended through one Wall of means normally yieldingly held out of operathe casing, as shown at 5la in Fig. 2, so that a tive engagement with the shaft, in combinasuitablecoupling may be employed to contion, means operatively associated With-the nect' the shaft extensions. slice supportfor mechanically operatively The device embodying my invention thus connectingr it to the shaft, and for maintainprovides a relatively simple and efficient ing it in position to support'the slice of bread u D prising a constantly rotating element, such Such Operative connection.

'as a shaft, and a plurality of pivotally 4. TIn a toaster having a' plurality of elec-A mounted bread-slice supports normally yieldtric heating elements, and a pivotally-mountingly held out of operative engagement with ed bread-811Go, Supporting means, in combi-l the timing mechanism and caused to operanatlOIl," 2L m01391`dr1-ven .rotatable s haft, and tively engage the Same by a Slice of bread means forcausing said slice-supporting means placed on the support. to be held by the shaft in a position to sup- The support is then held in such position as POI R 11@ 0f bread placed thereon in toastto maintain a 'Slice .of bread iii toasting relaing position-.between the heating elements for tion to the heating element or elements'until a predetermined lengt-h of time. v .such time asV it shall have been properly 5. III 2 1 master havinga plurality of electoasted, after which the toasted slice is per- IIC heatlllg 1H1GI1tS,l 1I1d 8. pl-VOtally-rmountmitted to drop therefrom into a storage com- @Si bread-Shoe SUPPoItmg means, v111 Comblnlpartmeiit7 the bread-s1ice lgummi-t, being tion, a motor-driven `rotatable shaft, and moved quickly to such position as to permit means fOr CallSlIlg Said slice-supporting the slice to drop therefrom. vResilient means moans t0 be held by the Shaft 111 a pOSltlQn toaster embodying a timing mechanism comfor a predetermined lenUth of time'only after -toasting position between 'the heating elea toasting Operation may @supplemented by and thereafter to permit a slice ofbreadvinivarying the motor speed in any Well known nelly Placed thel'eooo drop thefefomi manner; 6. In a toaster having a plurailty of heat-l Various modifications may be'made, in the lng elements, 91nd ,a motol'jdflven rotatable device embodvingmy invention Without de- Shaffer-1o 'eo-mblleton, a' plvotellf mounted bread-slice supporting means resiliently held shall be placed thereon as are imposed bythe and means effective Pon Placing e Slice of prior art or are Set forthn the appended bread on theslice support to operatively .con- Claims. i y v nect the support to the shaft and hold it in `I claim as my invention, position to support the slice between the heat- 1. In a toaster having a plurality of spaced mg elements sind connecting means bemg predetermined time to perloperative shaft, in combination, a pivotally mt the Support to move out from under the mounted bread-slice supporting means nor- .s me' gagement with the Shaft, ,means operatively ing elements, a screw threaded shaft, and a connecting the slice-supportingmeans with grafmvgfynehggg;Iunaa the shaft when a slice of bread is located on Spring or normally holding the Slice sllp th? supporting means ald Conpectmg Ineens port out of operative engagement With the bemg effeetwe to Permlt the shce'supportmg shaft, a leaf spring extending laterally above means to @um on lts pwgtal mountmg and the shaft and means on said support for causdrol) the Sheeing the spring to engage said shaft and main- 2. In a toaster having a plurality of spaced tain the slice su o rt in sition to hold a electric heating elements, a pivotally mounted p p p0 l slice of bread between the heating elements b1 @ad-Shoe 'SupportI and e motor'dlven con for a predetermined length of time and theretinuously operative Shaft, in Combination, after to permit the support to turn to drop the means mechanically operatively connecting slice, the slice support and the shaft when a slice 8 In a toaster having a heating element of bread is placed on the slice support, and and a timing mechanism, in combination, a means operative to permit the slice to bevdisbread-s1iee support normally out of operaengaged from its support after a predetertive engagement with the timing mechanism mined length of time after initiation of said and caused to operatively engage the latter placed thereon in 7. In a toaster having a plurality of heat-f when a slice of bread is placedon the support and effective to support the slice in toasting relation to the heating element for a predetermined length of time only. v

9. In a toaster havingI a heating element and a timing mechanism embodying a rotatable screw threaded shaft, in combination, a bread-slice support, means for mechanically operatively connecting the slice support and' the rotatable shaft when a slice of bread is placed on the support, said connecting means being effectivel to hold the slice support in position to support a slice in toasting relation to the heating element for a predetermined length of time and to then permit the toasted slice to move the support to permit it to drop therefrom, and resilient means forreturning the slice support to its initial position.

10. In a toaster having a plurality of heating elements, a screw threaded shaft, and a motor for rotating said shaft, in combination, a pivotally mounted slice support, a spring for normally holding the slice support out o operative engagement with the shaft, a leaf spring extending laterally above the shaft, means on said support for causing the spring tol engage said shaft and maintain the slice support in position to hold a. slice of l' bread between the heating elements for a predetermined length of time and thereafter to permit the support to turn to drop the slice,

A and means for varying the initial position of said spring relatively to the bread-slice support.

scribed my name this 12th day of January, 1928. v

ROLLO B. LINCOLN.

In testimony whereof, I havehereunto subif 

